The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-02-23
PHYSIOGNOMY.
Considered as a Detective of
Character.
Examples Showing How 1t Is Indicated
I'm the Mouth, Nose, Eyes and
Ears-The Best Readers
of Faces.
Fra Limo Lippi. beloved of Bro wn-


ing S verse, when friendless ragamuffin,
I'm birtone, scanning keenly the faces
of the procession to see who would |
compassionately let fall few drops OF
his taper's wax for the hungry urchin
to sell again, was taking lessons in a
study as useful to mankind as it is
neglected. We are all born with a
smattering of it, our A B G of the uni
versal language coming by nature,
but most of us expect the entire read
ing, like Dogberry's, to come so, too.
1t belongs to few rare persons, like
second sight or diviniation-it is
diyination, of q sort that made SYPHILIS
famous, and taught the weird women
their "Hale, Thane of Cawdor,' at
sight of the scheming, relentless face
of Macbeth. 1t belongs superlatively
to intellectual and magnetic women,
to slaves, dogs and friendless creatures,
whose wits are kept keen by circum-
stances, and whose safety lies in being
quick to read this kind of Indian sign.
1T is defense, but not am enviable
one" said woman having the gift in
an uncommon degree. 81 wouldn't be
seer or mind-reader for any thing
you could offer. It's bad enough to
see the character in ones face when
you want to like some new acquaint-
ance undeservedly, who seems per-
fectly charming, and you want to be
charmed, yet something tells you it
won't do. Am / never deceived
Frankly, never but once in my life. l
never meet an undesirable acquaint
ance, no matter how well introduced,
without distinct impression that the
person would bring trouble to me. I've
learned to be very careful to respect
the first instants reading of a new
face. The first sight conveys its real
meaning to one who can read it. Man.
ners and different expressions may
tempt one to modify or recant the first
opinion, but 1 have never done
so without lifelong regret. | knew
very sensitive girl who had this in
stinet, whose friendship was sought by
literary man, a man of good family
and favorite in society, not bad
fellow by any means. Her first i'm
preston, as she said, on meeting him,
was that he was puppy, an impress
sion quickly effaced by his consumate
manners and taste. They became
strong friends, the woman helping him
in very delicate. serviceable way,
taking his work for him without pay,
assisting him from her slender income,
out of frank, blameless regard; girl
far too ignorant to know how fatally
such kindness can be misconstrued. In
his contemplate vanity the man was
pleased to let the impression get about
that she was his light O. love; in fact,
did some things to complete the idea
which will never be out of some mems
heads till they die. Rather a hard re.
turn for the unselhsh interest of 8
motherless girl.
So well marked are the signs o
character in face and person that they
have been reduced to system. The
science is by no means u new one
Aristotle, Pliny and Galen wrote upor
it; Avicenna, Michael Scott and Baptis
Porta, to whom we owe the camera OBJ
scura; Biumenbach, Spurzheim, th'
eminent Bichat and Broussals, Sil
Charles Bell, James w. Redfield. Law
alter, the highly revered Swiss clergy
man, in 1901 collected the observations
and illustrations which put physi
ognomy on footing of repute. Anc
DR.. j. Simms, of New York, made ;
complete systematic study, called
Natures Revelations of Character,
useful to those who would follow it as
science. The position of the most emf
nent scientists now goes far beyond thu
faint induces of phrenology, for mel
like Herbert Spencer, DIR. Mandesle.
and Dr. Lindsay hold that the brain il
not the only organ of the mind, but the
muscles and the nervous ganglia assis
and express its workings. By thi
theory, physiognomy read the whole
physical form.
"As the dial to the clock" says .
writer on the subject, $50 is the human
face to man; on it are written no
only his mental powers, his mora
strength or weakness, but his physica
capacities and predispositions to health
or disease, and there is no one Of ordi-